Bottle-feeding mechanism.



W. C. MUENGH.

BOTTLE FEEDING MEGHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED MAY e, 1912.

Patented sept. 29, w14.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

MGA(

ATTORNEY.

W. c. MUBNGH. BOTTLE FBEDING MEGHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 6,1912. i s l l 29% 55, Patented Sept. 29, 1914.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

'V/TIVESSES: I AVVEIVTOR. y Wiliam Clfvench Q 1,4 TTOR/VEY.

level of the table 17 ,and in proximity to the star wheel 16.

The star wheel 16 is shown in detail in Figs. 5 and 6. Said wheel has a top plate 30 with-"peripheral notches 31 therein and vU- shaped plates 32 of the same shape as thenotches secured upon the vunder side of the top plate. A collar 33 is secured 'centrally of the top plate by means of which the star wheel is mounted upon the shaft 18. A

curved guide plate 34 is removably secured lto the crowning machine table 17 by means path of the plungers v is' cut away suiiicarried to the le t, but the ciently to clear the crescent shaped stops 37 on said plungers 15. A curved guide plate 38 is pivotally secured to the right hand end of the guide plate 34 and the free endthereor` is normally caused to bear against the conveyer guide 39 by a spring 40 secured to the guide 34 and bearing against the guide 38.

The operation of my invention is as follows: The crowning machine being driven inthe usual manner the star wheel 16 and belt conveyer 28 will also bedriven and the filled bottles delivered by hand or otherwise to the conveyer will be carried toward the star wheel 16 and will be caught between the projections thereon and will be carried to the left in thedirection of the arrow, see Fig. 2, and delivered to the bottleholders of plun ers 15 of the crowning machine after whic they will be 'crowned in the usual manner. Should a bottle from the conveyer meet one of the projections on the star wheel instead of movin into a notch it will be ide 38will yield and the bottle will not e broken b ut will be yieldingly held until the next notch on the star wheel comes opposite to the bot. tle when it will be forced into said notch b the spring 40 bearing on the guide 38. The action of the spring 40 and place is always to move the bottle in a reverse direction to the movement of the star wheel 16 and never in the same direction. Breakage is thus prevented. As the bottle is moved by the star .wheel it will be given a twisting motion upon the table 17 and will be delivered to Vagainst the 'plunger stop 37 an the center of the plungers 15. This adjustment is very important for should the end of the guide 34 be set too near the star wheel '16, the bottle will be caught and crushed against the plunger stop 37. On the other hand, should the guide 34 be set too far out the bottle will not be properl centered when the plunger is raised, the neck of the bottle will hit against the crowning head and will be broken. In practice ithas been found necessary not only to adjust the guide 34 for each different size of bottle used, but for bottles .of the same volume made by di`erent manufacturers as Well.

As the bottles are moved onto the bottle holders theT necks pass into the notches of a guide wheel 142 which is secured to the main column 41 of the machine and revoluble therewith and as the bottles are discharged from the bottle holders, the guide wheel will steady the necks and keep them from falling. To accomplish this result the discharging faces of the guide wheel arms are curved away from the direction of rotation so that the bottles will be discharged with a gradu- .ally decreasing movement and with no sudden jar or .flin The bottles are discharged by the centri gal movement of the rotary table 42 and wheel 142.

I claim as my invention:

A bottle crowning machine including a fixed table, a'star wheel thereon for conveying bottles along the surface of the table, a guide substantially .concentric with said star wheel and beyond the periphery thereof and consisting of a fixed portion adjustably mounted on said table at the point where the bottles leave the star wheel, and a movable portion hinged to the forward end of said fixed portion and extending to the point where the bottlesI enter said vstar wheel, aA

spring on said fixed portion of the guide and bearing against the outer surface of said movable portion, and means for limiting the inward movement ofthe free end of said movable portion of said guide.

In witness whereof, I havel/hereunto 

